How to Export IMAP Emails to PST(.pst) Format?

Written By Md Shoaib
Updated on November 4th, 2024

Summary: Exporting IMAP emails to PST format is useful for people who want to save a backup, move emails to a new account, or keep older messages safely stored. IMAP allows you to access your email from multiple devices by syncing with the server. But it doesn’t store a local copy of your emails by default. By exporting your IMAP emails to a PST file in Outlook, you can create a secure, accessible backup that preserves all your emails in one place. In this blog, we will make you introduce to the best solutions including the DRS IMAP Migrator Tool to export IMAP to PST within a few clicks.

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Table of Contents

Common Reasons for Exporting IMAP Emails to PST

There are several reasons why exporting IMAP emails to PST format can be helpful:

Exporting to PST creates a local backup on your computer, keeping your emails safe.
By exporting old emails to a PST file, you can delete them from the server while still having access to them locally.
If you’re switching to a new email account or service, exporting your emails to PST makes it easy to transfer them.
With a PST file, you can access your emails even when you’re not connected to the internet.
Exporting these emails to a PST file allows you to archive them safely for future reference.

Now, you understand that exporting IMAP emails to PST is a simple way to keep your emails secure, and manage storage. This process makes it easier to access or transfer your messages whenever needed.

Ways to Export IMAP Emails to Outlook PST File

Among the distinct methods, we will discuss the best methods to accomplish the task with ease. The user with technical expertise can move with the manual method. However, we will also elaborate on the automated solution to export IMAP Mailbox into PST, easy for advanced users and beginners also.

#Method 01: Export IMAP Emails Using Outlook’s Built-in Export Option

Here, we described the manual way to export IMAP Mailbox into PST. To accomplish this method, you have to go through two different stages. First, configure your IMAP account in Outlook. Thereafter, export the IMAP emails into PST format. Below, we will describe the both steps in detail:

#Step 01: Configure IMAP account in MS Outlook

Firstly, launch and start Outlook on your computer.
After that, navigate to the File option >> Add Account.
Enter the email address you want to configure and click Connect.
Next, select IMAP as the account type.

Provide the required incoming and outgoing mail server information:

Incoming mail server (IMAP): Enter your email provider’s IMAP server.
Outgoing mail server (SMTP): Enter your provider’s SMTP server.

Click on More Settings and go to the Outgoing Server tab.

Check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
Select Use the same settings as my incoming mail server.

Go to the Advanced tab and ensure the following:

Incoming server (IMAP): Typically uses port 993 with SSL/TLS encryption.
Outgoing server (SMTP): Typically uses port 465 or 587 with SSL/TLS encryption.
Click OK, then Next.
Outlook will test the account settings by logging in and sending a test message. Ensure both tests are completed successfully.
Lastly, click Finish to complete the setup.

Your IMAP account should now be configured and ready to use in Outlook. After that, move to the next stage.

#Step 02: Export IMAP Emails to PST

Again, Open Outlook and go to File.
Select Open & Export and then choose Import/Export.
In the Import and Export Wizard, choose Export to a file and click Next.
Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
Choose the folder you want to export (e.g., your entire mailbox or a specific folder). If you want to include subfolders, make sure that option is checked.
Click Next, and then select the location and name for your PST file.
After these all steps, click Finish >> OK.

#Method 02: Reliable IMAP Backup Tool to Export IMAP Mails to PST Format

The DRS IMAP Migration Tool is a software that helps move email data from one IMAP server to another easily. It allows users to transfer emails between different email platforms and keep the data safe and organized. It is the best way to download and save your email data to your computers or other storage in various formats, such as PST, MBOX, EML, and PDF. It has also some advanced features to make your user experience better. The additional features are as follows:

Key features of DRS IMAP Backup Tool

Users can choose specific folders or date ranges to back up only the needed data.
You can apply filters to exclude or include emails based on specific criteria.
It supports various IMAP email services like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and others.
This software has a simple and intuitive design for easy navigation and use.
Backup emails in various formats such as PST, EML, MBOX, PDF, and more.
It has the option to pause the backup process and resume it later for convenience.
Also, it provides safe and reliable data transfer without any data loss.
Along with that, it works well with all versions of Windows and Mac os.

After knowing the proficient features of the software, we will describe the steps of the tool in the below-mentioned section

Export IMAP to PST Format in a Few Clicks

First, launch and run the IMAP Migration Tool on your system.
Select either Single Mode or Batch Mode to backup one or multiple email accounts.
Input your email address, password, host, and port number, then click the “Login” button.
Now, choose the required folders from the tree structure, and then click the Next button.
Then, select PST as the file format for saving and specify the location where you want to save the output file.
Then, use the software’s extra features as required, and click on “Start Processing.”

This will initiate the IMAP backup process, transforming the data into PST format.

Conclusion

In this complete blog, we learned the appropriate solution to export IMAP to PST including manual and automated solutions. Both methods are working according. You can pick any of them according to your technical expertise. However, the manual method is good for small-scale IMAP data. On the other hand, you can use the automated solution for large-scale data as well. The best part of using the automated solution is your data remains the same and you don’t need tech expertise to perform this. It is helpful for people and organizations who want to change email providers or combine email accounts without losing any data. For more, you can try the demo version of the software for free.

About The Author:

Md Shoaib

Hi, I’m Md Shoaib! I enjoy writing about technologies and helping my readers with their queries, and I’m always looking for new ways to challenge myself and grow. Professionally, I work as a Digital Marketer, where I specialize in SEO and Copywriting.